Nowhere to run: the role of habitat openness and refuge use in defining patterns of morphological and performance evolution in tropical lizards

For species from open habitats with little cover and few refugia, selection should favour morphologies that enhance performance at tasks that enable rapid movement across open areas. Similarly, selection should also favour traits that enable rapid access and movement within suitable refugia. This st...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of evolutionary biology 2009-07, Vol.22 (7), p.1535-1544
Main Author: GOODMAN, B.A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
adaptation
Animals
Australia
Biological Evolution
comparative method
ecomorphology
ecophysiology
Ecosystem
Evolutionary biology
habitat openness
Habitats
Lacertilia
Lizards - anatomy & histology
Lizards - genetics
locomotion
Morphology
physiological ecology
Reptiles & amphibians
Scincidae
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Summary:For species from open habitats with little cover and few refugia, selection should favour morphologies that enhance performance at tasks that enable rapid movement across open areas. Similarly, selection should also favour traits that enable rapid access and movement within suitable refugia. This study examined the relationship between habitat openness, refuge use, morphology and performance of 19 species representing 23 populations of tropical Lygosomine skink. Species from this group occupy a wide array of habitats from open forest and open rocky intertidal zones to high-altitude heaths and dense, closed forests. Species that occupied open habitats were faster at sprinting, climbing and had better cling ability than species from more cluttered, closed habitats. In addition, species from habitats that used rock crevices as refuges had enhanced sprinting ability. This study shows the importance of both habitat openness and refuge type in the evolution of both the morphology and performance in lizards.
ISSN:1010-061X
1420-9101
DOI:10.1111/j.1420-9101.2009.01766.x